In current communication systems, and more particularly cellular communication systems, pedestrian users will access the cellular communication network. For purposes of this discussion, a pedestrian user is one who roams slowly (10 kph, kilometers per hour, or less) as opposed to a mobile (up to 100 kph or more) user. This mobile cellular network will provide the continual overhead measurements used by the system to maintain channel quality and perform hand-off functions.
Critical to the operation of the cellular communication system is the use of a signalling channel for transmission of system information to subscribers. The signalling channel has information transmitted to subscribers on logical channels which include a broadcast control channel (BCCH) having system information, a synchronization channel (SCH), a paging channel (PCH), a short message channel (SMCH), an access grant channel (AGCH), and a broadcast data channel (BDCH). In typical systems, however, the signalling channels have not supported either the frequency diversity or code-division multiple-access capabilities of frequency hopping. Using a fixed frequency RF carrier for signalling makes the signalling carrier the weak link of the system clue to difficulties encountered during planning/sharing of time division multiplexing (TDM) with traffic channels undergoing frequency hopping. A fixed frequency RF carrier for signalling also makes more efficient frequency reuse due to SFH/CDMA cumbersome and perhaps impossible.
Therefore, a need exists for a cellular communication system having a structure for a signalling channel which supports logical channels for broadcast, paging, synchronization, access and access grant while removing the above mentioned problems in a low complexity configuration.